Hi,
Been working on variant elementals based on the medieval elementals (gnome, salamander, sylph, and undine). Below is the first draft of the variant air elementals, the sylfs. Comments and feedback (esp. on CR) would be greatly appreciated.
SYLPHS
Sylfs are humanoid spirits of elemental air. They possess a high degree of sophistication and magic ability that their more dim-witted and simple cousins, the air elementals, lack.
Males have short spikey hair that is constanly rippling as in caught in a breeze, while females posses wings (these wings increase the flying speed of female sylfs to 100 ft, perfect).
While all sylfs have some degree of magical control over the element of air, the more intelligent sylfs have access to the more subtle arts of divination and illusion.
Combat
Sylf Traits (Ex): All sylfs share a number of traits in common.
—Air Mastery: Airborne creatures take a –1 penalty on attack and damage rolls against a sylf. This is an extraordinary ability.
—Elemental: Darkvision 60 ft; immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, and stunning; not subject to critical hits or flanking; requires a limited wish, wish, miracle, or true resurrection, to restore to life.
—Evasion: If a sylf makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, she instead takes no damage. This is an extraordinary ability.
—Spear Mastery: Slyfs treat halfspears as light weapons and their range increment when throwing a spear or javelin is increased by 10’. This is an extraordinary ability.
—+4 racial bonus on Tumble checks.
Below are the descriptions of the feats and spells mentioned in various entries.
FEATS
Agile Riposte [General]
Prerequisites: Dexterity 13, Dodge.
Benefit: Once per round, if the opponent the character has designated as his or her dodge target (see the Dodge feat) makes a melee attack or melee touch attack against the character and misses, the character may make an attack of opportunity with a melee weapon against that opponent. Resolve and apply the effects from both attacks simultaneously.
Special: Even a character with the Combat Reflexes feat can’t use the Agile Riposte feat more than once per round. This feat does not grant more attacks of opportunity than the character is normally allowed in a round.
Special: A fighter may select this feat as one of his bonus feats.
Note: Originally appeared in d20 Modern.
Element Focus [General]
Choose one of the following four elemental descriptors: Air, Earth, Fire, or Water.
Benefit: Add +1 to the Difficulty Class for all saving throws against spells (or spell-like abilities) you cast with descriptor you select.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time you take the feat, it applies to a different descriptor.
Element Focus, Greater [General]
Choose an elemental descriptor to which you already have applied the Element Focus feat.
Benefit: Add +1 to the Difficulty Class for all saving throws against spells (or spell-like abilities) you cast with descriptor you select. This bonus stacks with the bonus from Element Focus.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time you take the feat, it applies to a new elemental descriptor to which you already have applied the Element Focus feat.
Razor of the Wind
Prerequisites: Dex 15+, Weapon Finesse, Base Attack Bonus +5.
Benefit: When wield a slashing weapon to which the Weapon finesse feat may be applied, you apply your Dexterity modifier to your damage roll instead of your Strength modifier.
Domains & Spells
DECEPTION
Granted Power: Add Bluff, Disguise, and Hide to your list of cleric class skills.
Deception Domain Spells
1 Silent Image: Creates minor illusion of your design.
2 Misdirection: Misleads divinations for one creature or object.
3 Major Image: As silent image, plus sound, smell and thermal effects.
4 Polymorph: Gives one willing subject a new form.
5 Mirage arcane: As hallucinatory terrain, plus structures.
6 Delusions: as modify memory, except 5 minutes/caster level of the subject’s memories can be changed.
7 Screen: Illusion hides area from vision, scrying.
8 Polymorph Any Object: Changes any subject into anything else.
9 Shades: As shadow conjuration, but up to 8th level and 80% real.
STORM
Granted Power: Gain cold and electrical resistance of 5. You are unhampered by adverse weather conditions (i.e penalties to spellcasting, being blown away by wind, ect).
Storm Domain Spells
1 Obscuring Mist: Fog surrounds you.
2 Windkey: you have control over wind speed and direction.
3 Call Lightning: Calls down lightning bolts (3d6 per bolt) from sky.
4 Rain Dance: You conjure a short-lived rain storm that impedes ranged attacks, extinguishes flames.
5 Control Winds: Change wind direction and speed.
6 Call Lightning Storm: As call lightning, but 5d6 damage per bolt.
7 Control Weather: Changes weather in local area.
8 Whirlwind: Cyclone deals damage and can pick up creatures.
9 Storm of Vengeance: Storm rains acid, lightning, and hail.
FROZEN WIND
Conjuration [Creation] [Air, Cold]
Level: Drd 3, Sor/Wiz 2, Winter 3
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level) or 50 ft. + 5 ft./level
Area: 5 ft. wide at medium range (100 ft. + 10 ft./level); or 10 ft. wide at close range (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Duration: Instant
Saving Throw: Reflex half
Spell Resistance: Yes
The caster unleashes a howling torrent of freezing wind that deals 1d8 points of cold damage per two caster levels (max. 5d8 at 9th level) to each creature within it’s area of effect (half damage to objects). Targets caught in the area of effect also suffer the effects of a bull rush attack with at bonus equal to the caster’s spellcasting attribute modifier + 2.
If the wind is blocked and the damage causes barrier to break or shatter, the wind may continue beyond the barrier if the spell’s range permits; otherwise, it stops at the barrier just as any other spell effect does.
RAIN DANCE
Conjuration (Creation) [Air, Water]
Level: Drd 4, Sor/Wiz 5, Storm 4, Water 5
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: Long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level)
Area: 100 ft. radius burst/level
Duration: 10 minutes/level (d)
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
You briefly summon dark gray clouds from which pours a steady, heavy rain accompanied by strong winds. The rain reduces visibility ranges by half, resulting in a -4 penalty on Listen, Spot and Search checks, and a -4 penalty of ranged attacks. It automatically extinguishes unprotected flames, and has a 50% chance of extinguishing protected flames.
This spell does not function indoors, underground, underwater; or in desert climates. The water created with this spell slakes thirst and provides nourishment to plants.
If cast in freezing weather the rain transforms into snow, doubling the duration, but reduces to the chance to extinguish unprotected flames to 25%, and has no effect on protected flames.
Note: Variant on the cloudburst spell found in Complete Divine.
SENSITIVITY TO PSYCHIC IMPRESSIONS
Divination
Level: Brd 2, Sor/Wiz 3
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 hour
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Area: Spread with a radius of 25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels, centered on you
Duration: Concentration, up to 10 min./level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
You gain historical vision in a given location. Rooms, streets, tunnels, and other discrete locations accumulate psychic impressions left by powerful emotions experienced in a given area. These impressions offer you a picture of the location’s past.
The types of events most likely to leave psychic impressions are those that elicited strong emotions: battles and betrayals, marriages and murders, births and great pain, or any other event where one emotion dominates. Everyday occurrences leave no residue for a manifester to detect.
The vision of the event is dreamlike and shadowy. You do not gain special knowledge of those involved in the vision, though you might be able to read large banners or other writing if they are in your language.
Beginning with the most recent significant event at a location and working backward in time, you can sense one distinct event for every 10 minutes you maintain concentration, if any such events exist to be sensed. Your sensitivity extends into the past a maximum number of years equal to 100 x your manifester level.
Note: This a spell originally appeared in the Expanded Psionics Handbook.
STORM HAMMER
Transmutation [Air, Electricity, Sonic]
Level: Drd 3
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 round
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Area: 15 ft. radius burst
Duration: Instant
Saving Throw: See below
Spell Resistance: Yes
The caster unleashes a staggering peal of thunder and lightning that deals 1d8 points of damage per two caster levels, half electrical and half sonic, to all creatures within the area of effect (max. 5d8 at 9th level, Reflex half). Targets caught in the area of effect also make a Fortitude save or be stunned for 1d3 rounds.
TEAR OF WINTER
Evocation [Air, Cold, Water]
Level: Sor/Wiz 6
Components: V, S, F
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: See text
Target, Effect, or Area: See text
Duration: See text
Saving Throw: See text
Spell Resistance: Yes
Tear of winter is a multipurpose spell. The character can cast any one of the following three versions:
Cold Ray: A ray of cold springs from the character's hand to close range (25 feet + 5 feet/2 levels). The character must succeed at a ranged touch attack to hit the character's target. The ray instantaneously deals 1d6 points of cold damage per caster level (maximum 20d6).
Frigid Sphere: A tiny sphere of freezing matter steaks from the character's fingertips to up to long range (400 feet + 40 feet/level) to strike a body of water or a liquid that is principally water. When it strikes such a target, it freezes the liquid to a depth of 6 inches over an area equal to 100 square feet (a 10- foot square) per caster level (maximum 1,500 square feet). This ice lasts for 1 round per caster level. Creatures that were swimming on the surface of frozen water become trapped in the ice. Attempting to break free is a full-round action. A trapped creature must make a DC 25 Strength check or a DC 25 Escape Artist check to do so.
Globe of Cold: The character creates a small globe about the size of a sling stone, cool to the touch but not harmful. This globe is a grenadelike weapon and can be hurled either as a thrown weapon (range increment 20 feet) or in a sling. The globe bursts on impact, dealing 6d6 points of cold damage instantaneously to all targets within a 10-foot radius. Affected creatures can attempt Reflex saves for half damage. If the character does not hurl the globe, it bursts on its own after 1 round per caster level. The character can command the globe to burst sooner if the character wishes, but the time cannot be changed once set (though it still bursts on impact after being hurled).
Focus: a tiny crystal sphere.
Note: This spell is D&D 3.0 version of freezing sphere.
WINDKEY
Transmutation [Air]
Level: Drd 2, Sor/Wiz 2
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 round
Range: Long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level)
Area: 40 ft. radius spread/level
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute/level
Saving Throw: See text
Spell Resistance: No
This spell grants you control over wind speed and direction. The speed of air within the area of effect can be increased or decreased by up to 10 miles per hour + 5 mph per caster level (max 60mph). You can alter the direction of any wind that moves at this speed or less by up to 90 degrees from it’s original direction. Powerful enough winds can cause creatures to be blown away, knocked down, or checked (see Table 3-17 in Chapter 3 of the DMG).
Note: Variant of the D&D 3.0 psionic power control air.
Been working on variant elementals based on the medieval elementals (gnome, salamander, sylph, and undine). Below is the first draft of the variant air elementals, the sylfs. Comments and feedback (esp. on CR) would be greatly appreciated.
SYLPHS
Sylfs are humanoid spirits of elemental air. They possess a high degree of sophistication and magic ability that their more dim-witted and simple cousins, the air elementals, lack.
Males have short spikey hair that is constanly rippling as in caught in a breeze, while females posses wings (these wings increase the flying speed of female sylfs to 100 ft, perfect).
While all sylfs have some degree of magical control over the element of air, the more intelligent sylfs have access to the more subtle arts of divination and illusion.
Combat
Sylf Traits (Ex): All sylfs share a number of traits in common.
—Air Mastery: Airborne creatures take a –1 penalty on attack and damage rolls against a sylf. This is an extraordinary ability.
—Elemental: Darkvision 60 ft; immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, and stunning; not subject to critical hits or flanking; requires a limited wish, wish, miracle, or true resurrection, to restore to life.
—Evasion: If a sylf makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, she instead takes no damage. This is an extraordinary ability.
—Spear Mastery: Slyfs treat halfspears as light weapons and their range increment when throwing a spear or javelin is increased by 10’. This is an extraordinary ability.
—+4 racial bonus on Tumble checks.
Below are the descriptions of the feats and spells mentioned in various entries.
FEATS
Agile Riposte [General]
Prerequisites: Dexterity 13, Dodge.
Benefit: Once per round, if the opponent the character has designated as his or her dodge target (see the Dodge feat) makes a melee attack or melee touch attack against the character and misses, the character may make an attack of opportunity with a melee weapon against that opponent. Resolve and apply the effects from both attacks simultaneously.
Special: Even a character with the Combat Reflexes feat can’t use the Agile Riposte feat more than once per round. This feat does not grant more attacks of opportunity than the character is normally allowed in a round.
Special: A fighter may select this feat as one of his bonus feats.
Note: Originally appeared in d20 Modern.
Element Focus [General]
Choose one of the following four elemental descriptors: Air, Earth, Fire, or Water.
Benefit: Add +1 to the Difficulty Class for all saving throws against spells (or spell-like abilities) you cast with descriptor you select.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time you take the feat, it applies to a different descriptor.
Element Focus, Greater [General]
Choose an elemental descriptor to which you already have applied the Element Focus feat.
Benefit: Add +1 to the Difficulty Class for all saving throws against spells (or spell-like abilities) you cast with descriptor you select. This bonus stacks with the bonus from Element Focus.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time you take the feat, it applies to a new elemental descriptor to which you already have applied the Element Focus feat.
Razor of the Wind
Prerequisites: Dex 15+, Weapon Finesse, Base Attack Bonus +5.
Benefit: When wield a slashing weapon to which the Weapon finesse feat may be applied, you apply your Dexterity modifier to your damage roll instead of your Strength modifier.
Domains & Spells
DECEPTION
Granted Power: Add Bluff, Disguise, and Hide to your list of cleric class skills.
Deception Domain Spells
1 Silent Image: Creates minor illusion of your design.
2 Misdirection: Misleads divinations for one creature or object.
3 Major Image: As silent image, plus sound, smell and thermal effects.
4 Polymorph: Gives one willing subject a new form.
5 Mirage arcane: As hallucinatory terrain, plus structures.
6 Delusions: as modify memory, except 5 minutes/caster level of the subject’s memories can be changed.
7 Screen: Illusion hides area from vision, scrying.
8 Polymorph Any Object: Changes any subject into anything else.
9 Shades: As shadow conjuration, but up to 8th level and 80% real.
STORM
Granted Power: Gain cold and electrical resistance of 5. You are unhampered by adverse weather conditions (i.e penalties to spellcasting, being blown away by wind, ect).
Storm Domain Spells
1 Obscuring Mist: Fog surrounds you.
2 Windkey: you have control over wind speed and direction.
3 Call Lightning: Calls down lightning bolts (3d6 per bolt) from sky.
4 Rain Dance: You conjure a short-lived rain storm that impedes ranged attacks, extinguishes flames.
5 Control Winds: Change wind direction and speed.
6 Call Lightning Storm: As call lightning, but 5d6 damage per bolt.
7 Control Weather: Changes weather in local area.
8 Whirlwind: Cyclone deals damage and can pick up creatures.
9 Storm of Vengeance: Storm rains acid, lightning, and hail.
FROZEN WIND
Conjuration [Creation] [Air, Cold]
Level: Drd 3, Sor/Wiz 2, Winter 3
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level) or 50 ft. + 5 ft./level
Area: 5 ft. wide at medium range (100 ft. + 10 ft./level); or 10 ft. wide at close range (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Duration: Instant
Saving Throw: Reflex half
Spell Resistance: Yes
The caster unleashes a howling torrent of freezing wind that deals 1d8 points of cold damage per two caster levels (max. 5d8 at 9th level) to each creature within it’s area of effect (half damage to objects). Targets caught in the area of effect also suffer the effects of a bull rush attack with at bonus equal to the caster’s spellcasting attribute modifier + 2.
If the wind is blocked and the damage causes barrier to break or shatter, the wind may continue beyond the barrier if the spell’s range permits; otherwise, it stops at the barrier just as any other spell effect does.
RAIN DANCE
Conjuration (Creation) [Air, Water]
Level: Drd 4, Sor/Wiz 5, Storm 4, Water 5
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: Long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level)
Area: 100 ft. radius burst/level
Duration: 10 minutes/level (d)
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
You briefly summon dark gray clouds from which pours a steady, heavy rain accompanied by strong winds. The rain reduces visibility ranges by half, resulting in a -4 penalty on Listen, Spot and Search checks, and a -4 penalty of ranged attacks. It automatically extinguishes unprotected flames, and has a 50% chance of extinguishing protected flames.
This spell does not function indoors, underground, underwater; or in desert climates. The water created with this spell slakes thirst and provides nourishment to plants.
If cast in freezing weather the rain transforms into snow, doubling the duration, but reduces to the chance to extinguish unprotected flames to 25%, and has no effect on protected flames.
Note: Variant on the cloudburst spell found in Complete Divine.
SENSITIVITY TO PSYCHIC IMPRESSIONS
Divination
Level: Brd 2, Sor/Wiz 3
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 hour
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Area: Spread with a radius of 25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels, centered on you
Duration: Concentration, up to 10 min./level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
You gain historical vision in a given location. Rooms, streets, tunnels, and other discrete locations accumulate psychic impressions left by powerful emotions experienced in a given area. These impressions offer you a picture of the location’s past.
The types of events most likely to leave psychic impressions are those that elicited strong emotions: battles and betrayals, marriages and murders, births and great pain, or any other event where one emotion dominates. Everyday occurrences leave no residue for a manifester to detect.
The vision of the event is dreamlike and shadowy. You do not gain special knowledge of those involved in the vision, though you might be able to read large banners or other writing if they are in your language.
Beginning with the most recent significant event at a location and working backward in time, you can sense one distinct event for every 10 minutes you maintain concentration, if any such events exist to be sensed. Your sensitivity extends into the past a maximum number of years equal to 100 x your manifester level.
Note: This a spell originally appeared in the Expanded Psionics Handbook.
STORM HAMMER
Transmutation [Air, Electricity, Sonic]
Level: Drd 3
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 round
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Area: 15 ft. radius burst
Duration: Instant
Saving Throw: See below
Spell Resistance: Yes
The caster unleashes a staggering peal of thunder and lightning that deals 1d8 points of damage per two caster levels, half electrical and half sonic, to all creatures within the area of effect (max. 5d8 at 9th level, Reflex half). Targets caught in the area of effect also make a Fortitude save or be stunned for 1d3 rounds.
TEAR OF WINTER
Evocation [Air, Cold, Water]
Level: Sor/Wiz 6
Components: V, S, F
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: See text
Target, Effect, or Area: See text
Duration: See text
Saving Throw: See text
Spell Resistance: Yes
Tear of winter is a multipurpose spell. The character can cast any one of the following three versions:
Cold Ray: A ray of cold springs from the character's hand to close range (25 feet + 5 feet/2 levels). The character must succeed at a ranged touch attack to hit the character's target. The ray instantaneously deals 1d6 points of cold damage per caster level (maximum 20d6).
Frigid Sphere: A tiny sphere of freezing matter steaks from the character's fingertips to up to long range (400 feet + 40 feet/level) to strike a body of water or a liquid that is principally water. When it strikes such a target, it freezes the liquid to a depth of 6 inches over an area equal to 100 square feet (a 10- foot square) per caster level (maximum 1,500 square feet). This ice lasts for 1 round per caster level. Creatures that were swimming on the surface of frozen water become trapped in the ice. Attempting to break free is a full-round action. A trapped creature must make a DC 25 Strength check or a DC 25 Escape Artist check to do so.
Globe of Cold: The character creates a small globe about the size of a sling stone, cool to the touch but not harmful. This globe is a grenadelike weapon and can be hurled either as a thrown weapon (range increment 20 feet) or in a sling. The globe bursts on impact, dealing 6d6 points of cold damage instantaneously to all targets within a 10-foot radius. Affected creatures can attempt Reflex saves for half damage. If the character does not hurl the globe, it bursts on its own after 1 round per caster level. The character can command the globe to burst sooner if the character wishes, but the time cannot be changed once set (though it still bursts on impact after being hurled).
Focus: a tiny crystal sphere.
Note: This spell is D&D 3.0 version of freezing sphere.
WINDKEY
Transmutation [Air]
Level: Drd 2, Sor/Wiz 2
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 round
Range: Long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level)
Area: 40 ft. radius spread/level
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute/level
Saving Throw: See text
Spell Resistance: No
This spell grants you control over wind speed and direction. The speed of air within the area of effect can be increased or decreased by up to 10 miles per hour + 5 mph per caster level (max 60mph). You can alter the direction of any wind that moves at this speed or less by up to 90 degrees from it’s original direction. Powerful enough winds can cause creatures to be blown away, knocked down, or checked (see Table 3-17 in Chapter 3 of the DMG).
Note: Variant of the D&D 3.0 psionic power control air.
Last edited:
